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your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your

trespasses” (verses 14, 15).

An old, crusty general once told great Christian preacher John
Wesley,“I never forgive,and I never forget.”Wesley responded,“Then

you are burning the bridge over which you must pass.”

An unforgiving heart brings serious consequences. After the
king rebuked his servant, the Bible says,“His master was angry, and

delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due

to him”(Matthew 18:34).Christ’s sobering point concludes,“So My
heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart,

does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (verse 35). Forgiving
others is not optional; it is mandatory. But for a Christian, forgiving

others shouldn’t feel like an obligation, no more than keeping the

law should feel like an obligation; you will know you are converted
when you do both as a natural outflowing of Christ’s love in you.

Forgiveness opens heaven’s doors to great blessings.

When was the Holy Spirit poured out in great measure on the
early church? The disciples had bickered about which of them would

be greatest and who would sit next to Jesus in the kingdom. But

when they saw their Savior dying on the cross, they realized that they
were all guilty of forsaking Him.

Let’s face it—even after you forgive somebody you might

not be able to forget what happened. But Martin Luther said,“You

can’t keep the birds from flying over your head but you can keep
them from building a nest in your hair.”When you are tempted

to ruminate on some individual who offended you and relive

the feelings, try praying for him. It might be hard at first, but
remember, until a person is converted, it is perfectly normal for

him to act like a selfish devil. Pray for the person’s conversion!

Results of Resentment

What happens when we indulge an unforgiving heart toward
others? Jesus delved into this consequence as He went on with

His parable.“When his fellow servants saw what had been done,

they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that
had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to

him,‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you After Christ ascended to heaven, they gathered in an upper
room and prayed. There were many tears and apologies. They forgave
begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your
fellow servant,just as I had pity on you?’”(Matthew 18:31–33).
one another. Then the Holy Spirit came upon them. Just as they came

When we receive Christ’s forgiveness, it softens our hearts. together in one accord, so will the church in the final days receive the
latter rain when God’s people repent and forgive one another.
We will have compassion on others, even toward those who have
offended us. The apostle Paul taught,“Be kind to one another,
From the Heart
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ
To be clear, Jesus’ parable does not teach that God forgives us
forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). We should generously forgive just
as the Lord has generously forgiven us.
after we forgive each other. Quite the contrary, the Lord forgives us
first. Indeed, you have no power within yourself to forgive others
Jesus emphasized this pattern in the Lord’s Prayer.“Forgive
except as Christ has first forgiven you. The parable tells that the king
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Christ’s
only commentary on this important prayer addressed the act of
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forgiveness. He explained,“If you forgive men their trespasses,

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Inside Report 2Q 2016